Movable gate spillway dams are used in controlling the water flow over dams, particularly power generation dams and flood control dams. These dams include movable portions that provide a means to release large quantities of water. One particular version includes the so-called Tainter Gate Spillway on a concrete dam. The Tainter gate is basically a curved flood gate panel which forms an outer surface of a sector of a circle. Water upstream is held by the curved flood gate panel when the gate is raised. The curved panel is supported on a radial structure that forms a pivot opposite the downstream side of the curved panel. A side view of the gate is thus seen as a sector of a circle. The pivot engages a trunnion that is connected to and supported by the concrete dam structure. The gate can then pivot about the trunnion to raise or lower the gate.
The trunnion is secured to the concrete dam structure by tension rods or anchor tendons. Each rod or tendon is encased in a sheath, and the sheathed rod is embedded in the concrete. One end of the rod or tendon is anchored within the concrete structure to resist the rod being pulled out of the structure. The other end of the rod extends outwardly and is not embedded in concrete. The rod portion not embedded in concrete is connected to a trunnion and secured thereto generally by a nut threaded on the end portion of the rod and abutting an anchorage plate on the trunnion. This arrangement provides for the rod or tendon to be in tension and resist the force of water held back by the gate.
This construction approach is beneficial in terms of cost as compared to methods in which the anchorage structure for the trunnions is not encased in concrete. However, the construction described does no lend it self to visual inspection of the tension rods. The ability to periodically assess the structural integrity of the rods is important in maintaining safe and efficacious dam function. When tension rods or tendons are damaged, catastrophic failure can ensue or a gate may need to be permanently closed at a large cost and possible loss of the ability to control a maximum probable flood. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of periodically assessing the integrity of the rods or tendons to determine whether they are in good condition.